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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27481498">Until I Met You</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Stahlop/pseuds/Stahlop'>Stahlop</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Once Upon a Time (TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Buffy the Vampire Slayer adjacent, F/M</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-11-10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-11-10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 20:14:52</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>5,163</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27481498</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Stahlop/pseuds/Stahlop</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>The helicopter blades start to whir overhead as Killian makes his way on board. He truly never thought he’d be back here again. Not since finding happiness and the truth with Milah. But that was all over now. She didn’t want to be burdened with him and his problems any longer, she’d made that abundantly clear.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Captain Hook | Killian Jones/Emma Swan, past Captain Hook | Killian Jones/Milah - Relationship</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>6</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>36</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Until I Met You</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">
      <li>For <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/RecoveringTheSatellites/gifts">RecoveringTheSatellites</a>.</li>



    </ul><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>This is a (belated) birthday gift for RecoveringTheSatellites. I know you never watched later seasons of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, but this story would not get out of my head. Buffy had a (somewhat) normal boyfriend after Angel and they had a bad break up, and then the next time he comes back to town he's married. So this is my Captain Swan version of that. Lots of demon slaying, angsty Killian, and witty Emma abounding. I hope you enjoy it!</p>
<p>And thank you profdanglais for your beta skills.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>The helicopter blades start to whir overhead as Killian makes his way on board. He truly never thought he’d be back here again. Not since finding happiness and the truth with Milah. But that was all over now. She didn’t want to be burdened with him and his problems any longer, she’d made that abundantly clear. He looks behind him to the road hoping to see a glimpse of her, hoping she has changed her mind about them, but all he sees is darkness.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Graham pulls him into the helicopter cab and into a hug. “I’m glad you decided to join us again,” he says with a smile. “The Monster Squad could really use a guy like you.” He gives him a good whack on the back in appreciation.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Is that what we’re calling it now?” Killian asks, raising an eyebrow and sneaking a glance back at the road again. Still nothing there.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The helicopter blades begin picking up more speed as the other guys buckle themselves in for takeoff.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“They want me back.” Killian says angrily. “The military wants me back.” He can’t even look at her when he says it. A moment ago he wasn’t even considering going back to them, he didn’t want to be controlled anymore, but now… Well, now it looked as though things were going south with Milah, and if she didn’t want him anymore, then what else did he have besides the military?</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>The look on her face was enough for his veins to freeze over. </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“You’re giving me an ultimatum?” she practically screeches at him. He tries to explain that it wasn’t what he meant. He was hoping she’d realize that she couldn’t live without him like he couldn’t live without her, even after all the shit that had just happened, but she won’t even let him speak. “No!” Milah turns and shouts at him, her chestnut curls swinging around in her face. “You don’t get to let vampires bite you willingly, tell me that they’re giving you what I’m not, and then tell me I have to forgive you now or you leave.” She turns away from him, that’s all the answer he needs. </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“I love you, Milah,” he says, completely resigned. She doesn’t even look at him as he slumps his shoulders and walks out the door.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The helicopter has barely taken off when he shoots one last glance at the roadway, hoping for a glimpse of her. He’ll jump off this helicopter into her loving arms if he sees her, but there is still nothing. She’s made her choice and he’s made his.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He sits back into one of the uncomfortable helicopter seats and closes his eyes to get some rest before he hits the base tomorrow morning where he’s sure some higher up will be screaming in his face about how worthless he is. He certainly didn’t miss that. The blades are so loud he can barely hear himself think, and it’s certainly why he doesn’t hear Milah screaming his name and that she loves him from below.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>-------</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>They’re in a tiny town called Misthaven three months later when he first spies the feisty blonde with emerald green eyes. They’d been called in for a random demon infestation, the kind that likes to play with their food before they eat it. Unfortunately, they hadn’t counted on Emma Swan. She may have looked like an ordinary high school science teacher, but she was scrappy. Scrappy enough that when they came to rescue her from those demons, they were shocked to find she’d already taken out half the nest. Taken them out with a homemade grenade. She’s actually a little annoyed to see the literal calvary coming in to rescue her before she can take out the other half.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Emma feels like she can’t stay in Misthaven after learning there are demons around. And she definitely can’t just sit around teaching bored high school kids anymore. It’s because of her science knowledge The Monster Squad takes her in and gives her the training she needs to fight. She and Killian get along famously. She’s not afraid to needle him about anything and everything. The way he fights, his flowery vocabulary, even the vampire bite scars on his arms. And he makes fun of the fact that demons are probably easier to handle than high school kids. It’s after a particularly nasty fight with a Toller Demon where they both are almost melted by its acidic vomit (absolutely gruesome) that Emma pushes him up against a tree, grabs him by the shoulders and plants one on him. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He relishes the feel of his lips on hers, the taste of her tongue mingling with his. But Killian still feels broken. And Milah really did a number on him. And it still feels like he’s cheating on her even though it’s now been six months. He leaves Emma confused as he heads back to his tent, tossing and turning all night as his mind conjures up images of both Emma and Milah.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>------</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Hey, Jones, you ever going to tell me about her?” Emma asks, plopping down next to him on the log he’s sitting on. He looks at her, bewildered, before he tries to school his features back to normal.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Her?” He tries for an air of nonchalance but even he can tell he’s failing miserably. She cocks an eyebrow at him. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Have you ever heard of the Slayer?” Killian asks her. Graham is the only one in their squad who knows about Milah, knows who she was. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Like the band?” Emma says in a joking tone, but then she sees how serious he is about what he’s telling her and her face becomes reflective. “Um, I know she’s somewhat of a legend, or you all thought she was a legend. And apparently she pissed off some higher ups who tried to take her out and then she took everyone else out.” She pauses and looks at him and Killian can already tell that she’s putting it together. “Oh, wow!” she finally says, turning away from him to look out at the forest they’re in. “You were in a relationship with the Slayer.” He barely nods in agreement. “That’s… intense.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He wants to say something, defend himself, defend Milah, anything, but the words are stuck in his throat. Instead, he swallows the lump that has formed in his throat and continues to stare at the darkening scenery in front of him.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I was abandoned as a baby.” Killian is completely stunned by Emma’s sudden outburst that he just turns and gawks at her. She starts to undo and fix her ponytail while she continues. “Found on the side of the road as a newborn. Had a family for a few years before they got pregnant and decided they didn’t want me anymore.” He watches her face as she shows no emotion about her past, just gingerly continues to wrap the elastic band around her hair. “I bounced around the foster system for a while before running away at 16. Met a guy who I did some petty thievery with until he framed me for a crime I didn’t commit.” Killian has never wanted to pummel a guy so badly as this guy that did this to Emma. She shrugs as she sees his anger. “Luckily, the police were smart enough to realize that I wasn’t even in the same state at the time the crime happened. I just got community service for trafficking of stolen goods. And that’s when I decided to go into teaching, because I wanted to show kids that there’s a lot out there. And plus, I get to blow things up in the name of science.” She grins at him. Then takes his hand. He still hasn’t said a word. “We all have a past, Killian.” He relishes the way Emma says his name, because she usually just calls him Jones. “But with the life we lead, that’s all you’ll have if you continue to live in it.” She kisses the hand she was holding before getting up and walking back to her tent. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Killian has another sleepless night in his own tent.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>------</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Killian isn’t sure what distracted him that day. If it was watching the way Emma fought the Polgara Demon, the sweat glistening on her forehead, her brows furrowed in concentration, the cute way she stuck her tongue out while pushing the demon back with a roundhouse kick. Or maybe he was just caught off guard when the demon decided it’d had its ass kicked enough and went after him instead. Whatever it was, he was too distracted to see that the Polgara had deployed its skewers from its wrists and the next thing he knew, his hand had been sliced clean off.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He wakes up in a military hospital to Emma asleep at his bedside, hands wrapped around his arm. He can’t even fathom what she’s doing there. She looks like she came directly from the fight, her fatigues still covered in blood, both hers and the demon’s. He nudges her slightly by moving his arm, but when she awakens he can’t even look at her, remembering what had happened. But she’s not having it.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>‘Now you listen to me Jones.” Emma says, her tone telling him he better listen and he better listen good.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“You need to stop feeling sorry for yourself and start seeing the man that I see every day.” He wants to interrupt her, tell her it’s not that easy, but the fire in her eyes makes him stop before he can even start. She pulls his arm into hers. He notices that there is nothing at the end and whatever painkillers he’s on must be pretty good, because he’s sure there must be some pain associated with just having your hand cut off. “You are amazing. You are a survivor. You will get past this just like you always do, and then you’ll get some state of the art mechanical accessory that the military will give you for free so you can continue to annihilate all the demons and beasties that are out, because you’re also one of the best they have. I do not want to see you wallowing in grief again like when I first met you. Milah didn’t know what she had when she let you go.” Killian is dumbstruck. He doesn’t even know how to form a response to what she just said. She gives him a chaste kiss on his cheek (rendering him even more speechless), then heads to the door. “I’m going to get some coffee because I’ve barely slept since you’ve been in here, but then I’ll be back.” He nods, still incapable of speech. She pauses at the door, seeming to contemplate something before she speaks again. “Oh, and I love you.” She smiles shyly and then heads out the door.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Killian scrubs his hand over his face, noticing his beard growth is more than it had been when they’d faced the Polgara demon. She must have sat by his bedside for a few days judging by how long it is. His heart feels like it’s going to pound out of his chest (and he really hopes he doesn’t set off any of the machines he’s hooked up to because of it). Did she just say he loves him? Emma Swan told him that she loves him?</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Bloody hell!” he says to himself, because he realizes that he loves her too. He just hadn’t recognized it after all the angst he’d been through with Milah. But she absolutely makes him feel his best. And she always puts him in his place when he deserves it (and sometimes even when he doesn’t deserve it). And he knows she’s better around him too.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>It only takes Emma five minutes to get coffee and come back, but it feels like the longest five minutes he’s ever endured in his life. She comes back in and tentatively walks over to the chair, like she’s expecting him to yell at her or something. And he’s such a wanker. Because of course she has no idea how he feels. How can she when he just figured it out himself?</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Emma,” he says in a slightly pained voice as he tries to sit up so he can talk to her better.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Here,” she says, pushing the button that makes the bed sit up into an incline position.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Thank you.” And now he realizes his voice is hoarse and dry because it hasn’t been used in a few days. Emma already anticipates what’s happening and pours him a cup full of ice chips that he hadn’t noticed sitting on the table next to his bed. He takes the cup and tips it into his mouth, savoring the icy goodness on his tongue and throat. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Swan.” He tries again this time with his normal timber. He crosses his arm over so he can grab her hands that are laying on the bed. “First of all, I’m sorry if my feelings for you weren’t clear. I wasn’t even sure of them until just now. Knowing you were here for me over the past few days, that means more to me than you’ll ever know.” He takes in a deep breath before he continues on. “I never thought I’d be capable of letting go of my first love, of my Milah,” Killian almost winces as he says it, because what he feels for Emma is a million times stronger than what he ever felt for Milah. “to believe that I could find someone else.” He’s never had someone lift him up and believe in him like she does. “That is, until I met you.” He rubs his thumb over the back of her hand, staring at it intensely. Even though she’d already admitted she loved him, he feels scared about his confession. Emma takes her other hand and lifts his chin up so he’s looking straight into her eyes.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“You really are an idiot, you know.” And then she kisses him. She tastes like the coffee she’s just been drinking, and the vanilla from her chapstick that she insists on using. He remembers the slide of her tongue against his from the last time they kissed, but it feels so different this time. This time, it just feels right. There’s no guilt about Milah or what she might think about all this. All he knows is that Emma Swan loves him, and he loves her, and he never wants this feeling to end.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>------</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Emma’s right, of course. The military does hook him up with a really cool robotic hand that looks like something out of a sci-fi movie. Connected to the right tendons and muscles, it functions pretty much like a real hand, and with a glove over it, no one can even tell there isn’t a real hand there. Emma doesn’t care either way. He knows she loved him before he lost his hand and even if he just had the stump, she would still love him. And sometimes Killian wonders how Milah would have reacted to this situation, if she would have been able to handle him losing his hand, but then he looks at Emma and realizes it doesn’t matter what Milah would have thought, it only matters to him what Emma thinks (and even with the robotic hand, she still occasionally calls him Stumpy, just so he doesn’t forget).</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>It’s the anniversary of when they met in Misthaven that Killian proposes they get married. It’s not some grand gesture of love, there isn't even a ring. They’re literally in a Kokolsha nest trying to keep the eggs from hatching while trying to kill the mother and father Kokolshas. They’re back to back, Killian burning the eggs to a crisp with a flamethrower while Emma tries to burn the adult Kokolshas, but their skin (scales? hide?) is a lot tougher than the eggs. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I think I’m going to have to resort to my knives.” Emma yells to him, throwing her flamethrower to the ground and pulling her knives from their sheaths on either side of her legs. He turns his head to look at her, the glint she gets in her eyes right before she attacks a demon always sends a jolt straight to his cock. Killian watches her take a flying leap and just stab the Kokolsha right in the neck, and while most would find that whole act gruesome, Killian realizes he couldn’t be more in love with this woman if he tried.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“MARRY ME, SWAN!” he yells over the din. There’s screeching and crackling and screaming and crying coming from the demons and the eggs so he’s not even sure if she hears him. Emma slits the throat of the second demon as it tries to avenge its mate and jump kicks it right into the egg fire. The cacophony of sound has gone completely silent now that their targets have been eliminated. Emma walks toward him, sweat matting the stray hairs down on her face, green blood splattered along the side of it and across her shirt. She couldn’t look more of a fright, yet she’s the most beautiful creature he’s ever seen. She gives him a good push that practically knocks him off his feet.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Did you seriously just propose to me while we were fighting demons?” Emma asks, exasperated. She turns her back to him and starts cleaning her knives as if this were the end of any one of their missions but with a few huffs thrown in to show her frustration. Killian scratches the back of his neck perceiving from her attitude that maybe yelling out ‘marry me’ in that scenario wasn’t necessarily the best idea.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Erm.” Killian can’t really think of an appropriate answer. Emma flips her knives back into their sheaths and turns back toward him with the biggest smile on her face.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Of course I’ll marry you, you big doof.” And before Killian can even question what she said, Emma has captured his lips in a kiss, and he could care less if he gets some of the Kokolsha blood on him during their make out session, because she said yes!</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>They find a justice of the peace, and with Graham and Will Scarlet as their witnesses, they get married the next day. And as much as he’d have loved to have seen Emma in a white dress, their white shirts and fatigues suit them just fine.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I knew getting back onto The Monster Squad would help you get over the Slayer.” Graham says to Killian at their impromptu reception (going to a local grilled cheese food truck, Emma’s favorite food). Killian is watching Emma try to force feed Will one of her onion rings, but if it’s a vegetable, he won’t touch it.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span> “It’s barely a vegetable, Will,” Killian hears her yell at him. He laughs because she really doesn’t take any guff from anyone. He can only imagine how her students had reacted to her.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Leave the poor bloke alone.” He laughs, and Emma stuffs the onion ring in her mouth, quickly chews and swallows it, before coming over to him to kiss him. He could kiss her forever. Hopes that he does get to kiss her for the rest of their lives. Sometimes he can’t believe that he thought Milah was the end all be all when it came to being in love when women like Emma existed. That he thought love was all about pain and angst when it was really happiness and light.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>And two months later when the orders to go find a demon egg dealer in Storybrooke, where he knows Milah still lives, come around, he has no trepidation about going there, or bringing Emma in as his back up.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>------</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>It’s surreal being back. Everything looks exactly the same. He knows it’s only been 18 months, but Killian feels like it shouldn’t look the same. He’s not the same. He’s vastly different from when he left town. But there it all is. Granny’s Diner, the library and clock tower, the creepy pawn shop.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I need to see Milah alone,” he told Emma. She’d nodded, understanding showing on her face. Killian needed to ease Milah into the fact that not only had he moved on, but that he was married now.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I’ll look for the Garak demon,” she said, making sure she had all the weapons on her that she needed. “I’m sure Milah already knows who this demon egg dealer is. You always said she had a real pulse on what’s going on in this town.” She smiled at him, making his heart skip a beat, and then gave him a chaste kiss before running off with her tracker.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>All their intel tells him that Milah now works at… the local burger joint? That doesn’t seem like something Milah would do. He would have guessed working at the magic shop with her Watcher, Marco, or even giving self-defense lessons. But a burger joint. Maybe she’s undercover? That’s the only explanation he can think of when he walks in to see her standing behind the counter in a circus tent looking shirt and a hat with a cow on top of it (laughing would be cruel wouldn’t it).</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He gets in line behind a family of five and studies Milah. Her hair is shorter, but other than that she looks the same, though without the sparkle in her eye that she used to have. She looks almost defeated. Like life has finally beat her down. He isn’t sure about what happened after he left, but this is not the Milah that he loved.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The line actually moves pretty quickly and he’s finally standing in front of her. “Welcome to Burger Town, what can I get started…” She trails off as she finally looks up from the register and sees him. “Killian?” Milah asks in complete surprise.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Aye, it’s me.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Family emergency!” Milah yells to her boss to get out of work, and now they are currently walking down the main drag of Storybrooke together. He can tell that she’s happy to see him, but there’s also something lurking beneath that she’s hiding.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I have so much to tell you, Milah,” he says, attempting to get the truth out there as fast as possible. “Things you wouldn’t believe,” he adds, because he’s sure marriage is not something she’d ever thought about with him.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“A lot has been happening here too.” She says, but she doesn’t continue. She may look the same, but her whole vibe is different. Killian doesn’t know what has happened to Milah over the past 18 months, but it doesn’t seem to have left her any happier than when he left.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Garak demon,” Killian finally says, breaking the silence that has sprung up between them. “Nasty buggers. Their only goal is to spread their eggs to invoke chaos. There’s usually about 30 eggs and they can decimate an entire town. That’s why we’re also looking for the egg dealer. Someone who’ll sell the eggs to the highest bidder. Usually the dictator of a small country looking to get rid of the rebel factions.” Milah nods at the information, but doesn’t say much else.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I don’t want to overstep here, Milah. I know this is your town, but anything you can do to help us would be appreciated. Please don’t let our past cloud the mission.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She stops and looks him up and down, as if she still can’t believe he’s there. “Your beard is growing out.” She finally says, putting a hand out to touch the stubble. “It makes you seem so worldly.” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“You want worldly?” He puts up his hand and pulls off the glove to show the robotic mechanism that is attached by a brace on his wrist. “Polgara demon, sliced it right off.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Milah’s eyes go wide and she pulls the hand toward her to take a closer look.”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
    <br/>
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Holy hell, Killian!” She gently touches the area where the brace hits the skin. When Emma glides her fingers over it, it soothes him like nothing else. It just feels wrong when Milah does it, so he quickly pulls his hand back and puts the glove back on. He shrugs as if the loss of his hand is no big deal (and Swan would say it isn’t). Milah looks as though she’s going to say something else as they enter a grove near the park when the Gorak demon attacks them from a nearby tree.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>They still fight well together, but he doesn’t get that same rush he used to get when fighting next to her. Not like the rush he gets when fighting with Emma. Killian can tell that Milah seems to not be fighting up to her usual potential and he’s just realized that he forgot to tell her that they need the Gorak alive when Milah twists its neck and kills it.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Shit!” comes the familiar voice of his wife. He sees her running down the street, obviously having tried to catch up with the Gorak. “Dammit!” Emma yells into the cool night air. Milah looks understandably confused.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Killian the wonderboy here didn’t tell you we needed the demon alive, did he?” Emma says accusingly. She’s giving him that glare that he hates. The one he knows she used to give her students when they hadn’t done their homework. The one that says ‘I’m not mad, just disappointed.’ He hates that look.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>‘Uh, no.” Milah says taking a step back from Killian. He hadn’t realized how close they’d been. Such a difference from when they used to fight and he would practically be on fire when they were that close to one another. Of course, that heat is all for his Swan now. “Sorry, who are you?” Emma gives him another look. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Bloody hell! </span>
  </em>
  <span>This was not how he wanted this introduction to go down.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Uh, Emma Swan, this is Milah, the Slayer. Milah, this is Emma, my wife.” He smiles a brilliant smile at Emma hoping that she realizes that he never got to tell Milah about her due to circumstances such as the Gorak attacking them. She just rolls her eyes at him and then puts on her own brilliant smile as she reaches out to shake Milah’s hand.</span>
  <span></span>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Killian here has told me almost nothing about you. It’s nice to meet you.” Milah tentatively takes Emma’s hand and shakes it. Then turns to Killian and simply says, “Wife?” Killian closes his eyes and tries to suppress a grimace.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I can see Killian has been forthcoming with all pertinent information tonight.” Emma jokes as she nudges his shoulder. He can feel the blush starting at the tips of his ears and running all the way down his chest. He really bollocked this up, didn’t he.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Milah finally shakes herself from the stupor that she had been in and asks, “Why didn’t we want to kill the demon?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“We don’t know where the eggs are,” Killian says, finally regaining his voice. This has got to be the most awkward situation he’s ever been in. It’s not that he still has feelings for Milah, not at all. He’s been over her for a while now. But he can see that her life is not going that great, and now he feels like he’s rubbing his happiness in her face</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Emma senses the tension immediately, because, of course she can. “Why don’t you two make a plan while I dispose of the demon,” she says. She turns to go back over to the demon’s body and Killian gives a silent prayer of thanks that his wife is so amazing.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“So. Married, huh?” Milah says, trying to sound enthusiastic about it, but sounding more resigned than anything. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He almost feels guilty for a moment. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Almost.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“You didn’t come after me, Milah. I had to move on,” Killian says quietly, not able to look at her. “And it took what felt like a lifetime for me to get over that. The first time Emma and I kissed I felt like I was cheating on you and it had been six months!” His voice is getting louder now, and he shouldn’t feel the need to defend himself. “It took me losing my hand to realize I couldn’t keep mourning our relationship, especially since you let me go!” He hangs his hand and takes a deep breath having finally said the things he’d been wanting to say to her for some time.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Milah stares at him, a little shell-shocked from his confession before her face starts to crumple. “I did.” She finally says. Killian raises up his head about to say of course she let him go, but she continues on before he can. “I did go after you. It was...I just...I realized too late what I was losing.” She takes a watery breath. “I was so angry at you for going out and getting bit on purpose. I didn’t want to think I could be the problem. I know now that I took you for granted.I wasn’t what you needed me to be.” She looks over at Emma who is sprinkling a vanishing powder she invented over the demon to make him disappear. “She...Emma, seems to make you really happy Killian.” She gives a genuine smile to him, something Killian hasn’t seen in a long time. “I’m happy for you. I just want you to be happy, even if it’s not with me.” She expels a deep breath as if she’s been holding it in to get out those words. But Killian can see, even though she is hurt, that she is honestly happy for him. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Emma jogs over at that point and gives Killian a peck on the cheek. “Demon is all taken care of. We just need to find the eggs,” she reminds them. Milah puts her game face back on and then they’re back out in the fray.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The eggs end up being easy to find because the bartender at the local demon bar had been paid to keep them for another local demon, even though everyone knows that he’ll sell out to the highest bidder, and luckily The Monster Squad will pay whatever they need to destroy those eggs.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Milah almost looks disappointed that Killian has to leave so soon.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Killian gets it. If he didn’t have Emma he’d probably still have been in the deep depression that he was in when they met. He can only hope that Milah finds that same type of love for herself some day.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>And once again Killian finds himself in a helicopter about to leave Storybrooke. But this time, instead of glancing around, hoping for his love to come for him, she’s right there next to him, holding his hand and kissing him within an inch of his life as the helicopter takes off and leaves his past behind.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
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